By JOEL COLEMAN
Starkville Daily News
It’s a new week for Mississippi State, but a similar storyline remains the headline for the Bulldogs as they prepare for their Southeastern Conference opener this Saturday against Kentucky.
Like last week, all eyes are still on the injured right arm/shoulder area of MSU quarterback Tommy Stevens. Stevens missed most of the second half of last weekend’s Mississippi State loss to Kansas State as he continued to battle with the ailment he suffered mid-game against Southern Mississippi back on September 7.
Stevens’ status for last week’s game against the Wildcats was undecided right up to game time and it appears this may be another wait-and-see week as pertains to Stevens’ availability. MSU head coach Joe Moorhead said in his weekly press conference on Monday that Stevens is considered day-to-day, but he did participate in practice in some form on Sunday. So it at least seems like things are trending in the right direction for Stevens to be available this coming Saturday.
“It was way better (Sunday) and (Monday) heading into (Tuesday) than it was at this point last week,” Moorhead said of Stevens’ injury.
Stevens was taken out in the third quarter against Kansas State over the weekend. He played the entire first half against the Wildcats, but according to Moorhead, Stevens got “a little weak-armed” during the halftime intermission. He then played briefly at the start of the third quarter, but that was all for the day.
“He wanted to try it out and see how it went and it just got to a point where we felt we didn’t want to leave him in the game when he wasn’t able to perform at 100 percent,” Moorhead said.
Mississippi State, for the second game in a row, then turned quarterbacking duties over to true freshman Garrett Shrader.
If Stevens can’t go this Saturday, there’s a good chance Shrader will make his first career start. Junior Keytaon Thompson is continuing to deal with a lingering upper-body injury that he suffered back during training camp. Redshirt freshman Jalen Mayden hasn’t yet seen any game action at all this year. However it’s much too early to make any kind of call for sure. And if last week was any indication, the safe bet might be on Stevens not missing the start.
“Tommy was very, very motivated to play (last week) and wanted to come back and help his team because he’s a competitor,” Moorhead said. “I think he’s earned that right as a fifth-year guy, if he’s healthy enough to play, to give him the start.
“It’s also kind of (a question of) where is the line of demarkation where the practice reps and preparation and continuity matter the most on Saturday during the week. So it’s figuring out who the starter is going to be and making sure that guy gets all the appropriate reps with the guys who are going to be in the game the upcoming week. That’s kind of where we’re at with that.”
More injuries
Moorhead also updated the status of several of his other injured players on Monday. Running back Nick Gibson, offensive lineman Dareuan Parker and cornerback Cam Dantzler all missed last Saturday’s game with lower body injuries. All are still considered day-to-day heading into this week’s game.
Also, Moorhead confirmed running back Alec Murphy will miss the entire 2019 season.
Walker update
Running back Kareem Walker could soon be practicing with Mississippi State. It was confirmed last week that Walker, who was a part of MSU’s most recent signing class, had met all NCAA transfer requirements and enrolled at State. Moorhead said now, Walker isn’t far from participating.
“He’s with us,” Moorhead said of Walker. “There’s just one more kind of administrative hurdle he’s got to get over to get onto the field. He’s in meetings. He’s around. He’s doing all those things. He just has to do one more small thing before he gets on the field.”
Auburn game time set
Mississippi State’s September 28 road game at Auburn is now set for a 6 p.m. kickoff the SEC announced on Monday. The game will be televised by ESPN.
The Starkville Daily News Bulldog Beat 